After a tremendous amount of discussion and discernment the officers have agreed that it is time for the club to take a new direction.

For those that remember the early days, when we began meeting in 2008, we charged out of the gate with tremendous enthusiasm and soon developed a robust team of officers that were talented, dedicated and extremely giving of their time. Like a successful rock band, we had all the right players in all the right places: Jim Hagani on the website, Phil Parent on photography, Keith Hultmark on merchandise and Frank Thomas on membership. In 2009 we added Bryan Little and Greg Emmons to the band. We were able to broaden the officer ensemble when Dave Sirico joined in 2013 and Alan Dempsey joined in 2015. Plus we had a Datsun / Nissan legend in Bob Sharp who provided guidance, unwavering excitement and served as a huge draw for our activities, especially our "Bob Sharp at Lime Rock Day". In addition we were able to recruit guys like Mike Tubiak (who designed our logo), Felipe Perriera and Justin Tang to work under the officers as club Directors. We truly had a "dream team" of leaders, one that in hindsight I was blessed to work with and whom only the Z Gods could have assembled. It was a wonderfully efficient and collegial group all focused on delivering the best experience possible to our members and their love of all things “Z". We were in the glory days of the CTZCC - meetings were packed with people listening to interesting presentations, fun runs and contests were springing up independent of club meetings, Discussion Forum posts were setting a blazing pace of new monthly records, membership was exploding and it felt like we were on fire - or at least firing on all cylinders.

The reality today is unfortunately much different. There is no other way to say it - we are a shadow of our former self. You may not have known or felt it - but it was all the officers could do these past two seasons to deliver a very minimum experience. We moved from a model of having a dedicated club President to one where the leaders tried to "group-manage" the club. It didn't work. We now find ourselves in a place where we simply have run out of steam and ideas. More than anything else, this is due to burn-out and the changing life situations of our officers. Jim and I have been there since the very beginning, meeting at the first Fall Outing in 2005. Almost a dozen years ago! Phil, Frank and Keith soon followed. Even the most recent officer additions of Greg, Dave and Alan have been involved with the club for many, many years. Some of us are simply burned-out, one is moving to a far corner of the state, some are dealing with health matters and family issues and some with job expectations that have changed over time. The bottom line is that none of us are able to continue to devote the amount of time and energy to the club that we once did.

So behind the scenes we have been grappling with this problem and how to address it for at least two seasons. During this time we've been trying to identify a new President who could develop a new crop of leaders that could carry the mantle of this club for the next decade. I personally contacted many people who the officers felt had the passion and leadership skills for this role. If you were not approached, it does not mean that we don't hold you in high esteem! Many members were not contacted due to: young families, work constraints, geographical constraints, infrequent attendance, health conditions or various other reasons. The folks we did contact all basically said the same thing: "I love the club and want to give back, but I really can't take on the role of President".

One thing we learned when we tried to group-manage the club is that it needs a dedicated and active "President". It needs a very strong leader and figure head who is going to take ultimate responsibility for recruiting and developing other leaders, forging relationships with new hosts, overseeing the club calendar, directing resources and dealing with a sometimes endless list of both minor and major decisions. To be fair, it is a part-time job and I understand that most people are not in position to take that on.

I have learned in business (the hard way) that sometimes to succeed, you must allow things to fail. This is what is happening here. We can no longer prop up what is clearly no longer working. It is my hope, which I know is shared by the other officers, that the loss of “what was” will inspire a resurrection at some point. If you feel called to lead it, we would love to discuss it with you. But please know it is a ton of work, mostly thankless and it will take more than one person to do it. In fact, unless you can assemble a team of at least six others that are willing to take on part time jobs - my advice is don't even try it. One simply cannot run a club with a vibrant website, monthly meetings, a car show, dealer relationships and two other major events with less than 6-8 dedicated people. I also have a very strong personal view that it is better to not offer an activity than to do it poorly. Or said another way, I’d rather see the club go on hiatus for a period than see it run into the ground.

So with no other viable option, the officers have agreed to transition the club into a "self-service" mode. What this means is that we will endeavor to stay together in some form but it will be more informal and wholly reliant on individual members. As an example, instead of monthly club meetings at dealer hosts, we hope that members will organize gatherings using the Discussion Forum's "Upcoming Events" thread. As an example, Keith is willing to host a gathering at the Marina and I am willing to continue to host the Fall Outing in Darien. If we can get half a dozen other members (out of over 625 in CT!) to coordinate gatherings such as these, we can at least maintain a presence and stay connected. In fact, some of the best memories I have of Z fellowship is when three or four of us are at a Dunkin Donuts having coffee, looking out the window at our first generation Z’s.

If you've read this far, thank you for being a part of this incredible ten-year journey and fraternity of everything "Z" . During this period we’ve had roughly 40-45 monthly meetings, 11 Fall Outings, 8 “Bob Sharp at Lime Rock Days”, 6 cars shows, 3 or 4 Karting nights and plenty of Fun Runs and special events (like our personal tour of Malcom Pray's private auto collection set up by Bob Sharp in 2009).

To quote a recent comment by Jim Hagani “This club has impacted my life in so many positive ways: the friends I've made, the things I've learned, the great times we've enjoyed together and the challenges we tackled as a team.”

Ditto and well-said Jim. This club has changed my life for the better through the friends I’ve made and the many awesome experiences we have shared.

We are now formally entering a new phase and the future will unfold however it does!

Although I'm saddened that CTZCC 1.0 has come to an end, I'm hopeful that version 2.0 is going to exciting, different and dynamic.

Even though we likely won't see each other in person on a monthly basis (at least for a little while), rest assured that the website will still be here for us to connect and interact, just like we've been doing for the past 11 years. So please try to make a habit of stopping by the forums and chiming in, if for nothing more than to just say "hello".

For over a decade, this club has been an awesome non-stop ride. I'm hoping this is merely a temporary pit stop while we swap out some very worn tires for a fresh set.

Thank You, Ross, for your vision and drive 10 yrs ago. Thanks to all the great CTZCC officers for their dedication over the years. Everything you guys did was to help us have a little more fun.Thank you, Bob Sharp, for being part of us and letting us share our cars with you.

10 years;52,000 posts;5600 topics;700 members on the website;over 1,000 cars in our stable.

You guys gave us the best free Z years anybody ever had. I think I have a tear in my eye and probably won't sleep much tonight.

I'm sorry to hear this recent news about the state of the club and the go forward direction. You all have a special place in my heart and ferver of the Z bug. I'm indebted to the club and the officers for all the passion, dedication, and friendships developed throughout the years.

I will remain active on the forum and hope to come up with creative and innovative ways to stay connected. We share a common bond as a result of sharing information, forging relationships, and giving back to one other. I am grateful for the experience and hope we can maintain a common bond.

I'm available to get together to talk cars, grab a meal or coffee, or anyone in need of a helping hand.

Id be lying if I said this wasn't a real bummer for me, as I'm sure it is for everyone here. This is the only car club I've ever been a part of and as a new member I was looking forward to attending some of your events and getting to know you. I could tell from the forums and your very active schedule that this was a fun club, filled with people who share my passion for Z cars (cars in general really). That is a big part of why I joined.

There are closer clubs to me but this is the one I want to be a part of. I'm sure I have missed out on a ton of great times as a result of not finding this club sooner.

That said I have to say you have obviously done a tremendous job organizing and running this club, also I believe your approach should be modeled by others.

As a parent I can completely understand why leading a club like this is not for everyone - to do it well would no doubt consume a large amount of time and energy. You should be proud of the job you've done!

Anyway I plan to remain on the forum and I hope to meet many of you in the upcoming season(s). I'll be watching the upcoming event forum and hope to make the run to Ct. many times for Z related activities. I also hope to see the club come back as great or better in the future!

Very sad to hear that, but I understand all of you.The CTZCC will always be in my heart and I'm grateful for all these fantastic friendships.Let's keep in touch, let's drive and speak about our cars.Thanks guyZ!

To Ross and all those who supported our Datsun fraternity, thank you for all your time and service providing others with great experiences and new relationships. Like many of you, I've been around a while and been a member of numerous clubs, but our Z club experience was by far the best of all. That only happens with a tremendous dedication by its' leadership. I truly enjoyed hosting and spending time with all of you in our Shelton fun runs. And I am guilty of missing club meetings and events this past year due to family duties..coaching baseball/basketball with son and daughter. However, I promise to run an event this year in Shelton to support our treasured relationships.....and our cars too.Connor and I are still working on restoration of our 1971 PL521 pick-up. Vinnie did the motor, trans and rear end. The chassis is blasted and painted, disc brakes ready. Hope to have a rolling chassis by Spring......finding the time???Ross's letter says it all, and yes it's sad we won't exist as before, but it's only sad because it meant something. I know I have fond memories from being with all of you and your friendships. I'll look forward to gathering again to celebrate our special connection. Let's stay in contact through this forum and meet again down the road. Til next we meet, be safe and healthy.........and of course..."Enjoy the Journey".Paul and Connor Jensen'91 300ZX.......'71 PL521

WOW, I must say I'm a little shocked but understand.With out getting into to much as I believe Ross has pretty much covered things.I know how much work, heart and soul you all have put into making the club an Awesome place for all of us Z enthusiast. I always had appreciation for the effort, achievement and most of all the friendships which will still remain in my heart, Just a lot of great people.I must say myself and Rich A. always took great pleasure in having the doors open at RDZ Motorsports for the club at time of needs for Z service, upgrades, meetings and show gatherings.As for Bob sharp days well that's a lot of work as well as the last several years and as Bobs VP of Marketing, Historian and Memorabilia I played a major roll in helping with the event in coordination with Lime Rock Park, Assistant to Bob, Ross and Jim an event that I not only took great pleasure in helping with but was always delighted of it's success.

There's a lot of unforgettable times and will cherish the memories.As registered member #13 Jan 2008 I just want to say Thank you to the Officers for all there dedication and hard work that have made this Z Car Club what it is today.With that being said I'm looking forward to and hoping there's some younger fresh blood that will take over the reigns and keep this club moving. Hope to see all again soon CHEERS!

The president of the ZCCNE and myself have discussed the changes in the CTZCC and we are reviewing what we can do to encompass the CTZCC members into our events. Possibly moving some events to mid MASS or Northern CT.

The ZCCNE will be having its annual planning meeting Feb. 18, 2017 and start laying out the events for 2017. We also plan on updating our web site over the next few months.

I will update the CTZCC members of the ZCCNE events through the CTZCC website.

ZCCNE will strive to keep the CTZCC active, until they can find members to take on the leadership roles.

Sad news indeed. I am shocked but not surprised. I have seen this pattern repeat itself with many Z car clubs over the years.

As president of the Z Car Club of Rochester for the past 11 years, I know what it takes to make a social club successful. Simply, it is DEDICATED VOLUNTEERS. The originators of a club have great intentions and enthusiasm and it is infectious, for a time.

Priorities change, life gets in the way and people migrate on to other things. It is the way. Unless there are new, enthusiastic people to step in and carry the ball, the organization slowly fades away.

It is hard to run a car club. Activities are what make it vital, not merely a sticker on your window. You try to plan activities so there is something of interest for everyone, that is the easy part. The hard part is getting people to step up and run them. At ZCCR we've been fortunate to have a great group of people that do just that, but there is constant effort to recruit more to "keep it going".

So I would say to the CTZCC officers, past and present, THANK YOU! Your efforts are most appreciated. To the rest of the members of CTZCC, I would say "take a breath, then STEP UP to keep it going". The Z is what brought us together but while the cars are great, the people are better.

PeaZe,JT

John TaddonioPresident, Z Car Club of Rochesterwww.zccr.netFacebook: Zccr zcarclubofrochester

Pasted below is an e-mail from Bob Sharp that he asked me to share with you...

To all the officers and individuals of the Connecticut Z Car Club--- I, Bob Sharp, would like to thank all of you for the friendship and enjoyment we have had together over the past several years. You all have worked so hard for the love of Nissan products. Ross, you kept the Club growing for many years. (especially you and your wife's year end car show) Thanks. I will look forward to seeing all of you at Lime Rock and other Nissan functions in the future. Please share this note with the other Club members on the Club forum... Sincerely, Bob Sharp

Well as long as there is the website and at least 2 people in the realm of the Z, there is club, a great club, a club that comes from the heart of many, and that alone is unmeasurable. It's been many years of good times and some struggles that together we made it through, the memories, the things we learn, the friendships will always live on. With that said, may the show go on, a new direction is not the end. So lets look forward and positive and great things will unfold. Also for the members we lost who shared their passion of the Z gives another reason to continue in their memories, to keep the flame going, never forgotten. Thank you, committed CTZCC member.

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